December 26, 2024
Feast of Saint Stephen, first martyr I have always wondered why the liturgy follows the great joyful feast of Christmas with the sad story of Saint Stephen’s martyrdom. Thank God for the commentaries!! I learned that by celebrating St. Stephen, the first martyr, on the day after Christmas, the Church leads us into the heart of […]
December 25, 2024
Nativity of the Lord Rejoice and be glad! Christ our Savior is born! Taking refuge with her husband in a stable, Mary, our Blessed Mother, endured the pain, exhaustion, and anxiety of labor before giving birth to a sweet baby. Joseph was there for it all, bringing his deep love and protection. They named the […]
December 24, 2024
On the eve of the celebration of the nativity of our Lord, we are confronted with this experience of David. He takes his time to consolidate himself. He tries to build a powerful army. He neutralizes his enemies and constructs a villa for himself. He then thinks about God. And his mind is ‘building a […]
December 23, 2024
Memorial of Saint John Kanty Today, we celebrate Saint John of Kanty (1390-1473), a priest-theologian at Krakow University whose simplicity and love for the poor earned him canonization and the title Patron of Poland. Today is also the last day of the “O Antiphons,” ancient prayers addressed to the Lord, just before the Magnificat at […]
December 22, 2024
4th Sunday of Advent On this final Sunday of Advent, the themes of hope, joy, and expectation that we have heard throughout the Season unite in reflection with themes of humility, obedience, and hospitality. In the first reading, we are assured of God’s faithfulness to humankind, working through the Prophet Micah, who prophesies the coming […]
December 21, 2024
The gospel for today could be summed up as “joyful expectation.” We can see joy and expectation in Elizabeth’s greeting to Mary and John’s reaction to Jesus. John leaps for joy in recognition of his cousin, and Elizabeth recognizes that Mary has an incredibly special role in the plan of salvation. Her knowledge of Mary’s […]
December 20, 2024
But Mary said to the angel, “How can this be since I have no relations with a man?” Mary’s response to the angel Gabriel is often interpreted as Mary saying that she was a virgin and that she wanted to remain such. Be that as it may, Mary is basically saying here that she had […]
December 19, 2024
As our journey through Advent continues, we are reminded today of the many mysteries God has in store for us: messages and acts that cannot be understood by the human mind but can only be accepted through unqualified faith. For Manoah’s wife, an angel appeared with the news that although thought to be barren, she […]
December 18, 2024
As we continue our Advent journey, we focus today on Saint Joseph. Every Catholic church has an image or a statue of this man. He was proclaimed the patron of the Universal Church, families, fathers, expectant mothers, travelers, craftsmen, workers, and refugees. And yet, not a single word of his is recorded in the New Testament. […]
December 17, 2024
Matthew’s genealogy underscores the fulfillment of Old Testament prophecies and Jesus’ role as the Messiah, the promised king who brings peace and justice. It also emphasizes the universality of Jesus’ mission. Gentiles and women are introduced in the lineage when the lineage breaks from the pattern of father to son. Matthew includes: Tamar (Genesis 38) […]